En route from Salamanca we decided to aim for as close to the northern coast, somewhere in either Galicia or Asturias, as possible. We had toyed between going to Gijón or Oviedo, but couldn’t find any campsites which piqued our interest in that area in our camping guide (Guía de Campings de España). Looking more broadly, we found a lovely sounding campsite, Amaido, in a place called San Tirso de Abres, a tiny town right on the Galician/Asturian border, and not far from the coast.
We weren’t disappointed. The campsite was small, green, quiet and on a farm. It also had an area full of outdoor toys right next to the reception building, which Little Miss H was delighted about after being couped up in the car again for a number of hours!
The pitches were in arranged in a circle around the central amenities. We found a pitch at the back of the campsite and set up camp. There was nobody immediately near us, so we were chuffed – looking right into the forest with ample privacy. Until another family clearly had the same idea! With 2 loud boys…
Anyway, they didn’t bother us too much.
There was lots to explore from this site. On our first full day we ventured to the northern Galician coast and then meandered along it, ending up in a town called Viveiro. The roads to get to the coast were narrow and windy, through thick forest. It felt like a proper adventure – very different to what we’re used to on the Costa del Sol. The beach (I wish I could remember the name, but in fact I don’t know if I ever even knew the name as it was near impossible to navigate to where I thought we were going anyway because of the tiny roads and lack of a detailed map) was beautiful – soft golden sand, lightly crashing waves – and quiet. We had a great time building sandcastles, taking photos and walking on the sand.
In Viveiro, we struggled to find an eatery oozing ambience, so settled for a busy-ish bar (Bar la Plaza) in another Plaza Mayor. The food turned out to be delicious (and plentiful). In addition to what we ordered from the menu (pulpo a la gallega and a dish of pork, chips & eggs) waiters would periodically appear with complimentary nibbles. It’s not common for me to turn down food, but after our ample meal I just didn’t have any more space for these nibbles.
Asturias is home to cider, so we were keen to find a local sidrería. The owner of the campsite recommended a place called Taramundi, so off through the misty hills we set.
Taramundi is a tiny, characterful, town set in the misty hills. We wandered around the cute town and found the Sidrería Solleiro. It was a small, dark place but it served cider and food so we gave it a go. The cider was brought to our table with a pump to aerate it; we were slightly disappointed not to have it poured from a great height into our glasses. But we did see that later! The food was incredible – simple but so delicious. We had one of the best tortilla españolas we’ve ever had and a rice pudding big enough to serve a family.
We loved our experience in this part of the country. It felt rural and full of character. We bought eggs from a bakery in San Tirso de Abres which were some of the yellowest, tastiest eggs we’ve ever had. The empanada and bread wasn’t bad either!
But it was time, the next day, to move on to our next stop – Los Picos de Europa.
